Tyson Flaharty

Describe your experience with the Equinox. Have you participated in the full marathon, the relay, and/or the ultra? How many times?

I ran the full marathon one time and the relay one time. My goal last year was to beat my wife [Davya Flaharty], and I did that by about 5 minutes. I used this race as a long training run for my skiing, though I raced it hard.

When do you start training for this race? How much of the course itself do you incorporate into your training? How often do you incorporate the Dome into your training?

I train enough year round, but I got more serious about a month before the race. If I just get a little distance on my legs then I’m fine. I try to get more specific towards the race, and trained mostly on the Dome and the last 2/3 of the race course.

What are your key workouts in preparation for this race?

A 17 miler, and ran the last 10 miles of the race about three times.

What’s your favorite part of the course? Your least favorite part?

Favorite is the sledding hill. It wakes me up. Least favorite is the bottom part of Henderson where my muscles cramp on me.

Describe the best moment you’ve experienced during this race. Describe the worst.

Best moment: crossing the finish line before my wife after looking back for the last 10 miles expecting to see her chasing me down. Worst moment: Realizing I am getting a bit tired on the Out and Back and then figuring out I had a ways to go to get to the finish.

Do you consider yourself a competitive runner? What are your running goals/fitness goals?

I consider myself a competitive athlete. I run when it’s time to run so that would make me a competitive runner. My running/fitness goals are more cross country skiing goals. I would like to make the Olympics in cross country skiing in 2014 in Sochi, Russia so everything I do is to help me get there. After 2014, I want to get into Ironman triathlons so marathons will be important.

What’s the best advice or training tips you can share with others who are new to this race?

I am not real experienced in this race since I have only done it once, but as with any endurance race, getting the right food in your body is key to having a good race.

Have you made any big training errors, or race day flubs that adversely affected your enjoyment or time in this race?

Big errors – not so much. I could always use more running miles in my legs before the race.

Any plans on participating in the Equinox this year? This race has been described as one of the most grueling marathons in the country! What keeps you motivated to participate in this event?

Yes! I will be racing this year. Now that I have raced once, I will have to do it as long as I can. Why stop?